The Catalunya-Palestina match is in danger: the Catalan Football Federation is looking for alternatives to the Estadi Olímpic

BarcelonaThe global mobilization campaign ACT x Palestine drew attention this Sunday to the fact that tickets for the Catalonia-Palestine match, scheduled for November 18, have not yet gone on sale, and that institutions are not promoting it. "Just compare it to the Basque Country-Palestine match," which will be played three days earlier at San Mamés, the stadium owned by Athletic Club, "for which 35,000 tickets were sold on the first day they went on sale," Luca Gervasoni, spokesperson for ACT x Palestine, told ARA. "There, the administrations and institutions work together to ensure the match is a success. In contrast, in Catalonia, there is a network of entities that are hindering the match from taking place at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, and we don't want to point the finger at any one in particular because we don't know who is responsible," he added.

Gervasoni's fears about the obstacles to holding the match at Montjuïc appear to be well-founded. Official sources from the Catalan Football Federation (FCF) have confirmed to this newspaper that they are looking for other stadiums to host the game. "Our priority is that it takes place. At this point, the main requirement we've been given for playing at Montjuïc is that it requires an investment of more than 600,000 euros, an unaffordable figure. Other options are being explored. Sabadell and Tarragona are two possibilities," say the Federation sources. It's worth remembering that the Estadi Olímpic is owned by the city, and that the stadiums in Sabadell and Tarragona have a much smaller capacity. "The FCF's priority is to organize it, and that's what we're working on," they assure.

Meanwhile, this Sunday, ACT x Palestine requested an immediate meeting with officials from the Barcelona City Council and the Catalan Government to find solutions so that the match can finally be played at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, which has a capacity of almost 50,000 spectators, far exceeding that of the proposed venues of the Nova Creu Alta in Sabadell and the Nou Estadi Costa Daurada in Tarragona.

Ticket presale

On the other hand, ACT x Palestine, which encompasses several pro-Palestinian entities, has opened a presale of tickets on its website (actxpalestine.comWith the aim of demonstrating that there is enough public interest in the match to fill, or nearly fill, the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. "We are working with many cultural organizations throughout the region that will participate in the match. There is a lot of interest in this football match that goes far beyond the sport itself; it is a cause for protest and solidarity with the Palestinian people," says Gervasoni.